


More Alike Than You'd Know

by PhantomThievesofWriting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Injury, Injury Recovery, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-02 23:26:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19451668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomThievesofWriting/pseuds/PhantomThievesofWriting
Summary: After staying late for practice one day, soccer captain Kasumi Hada runs into volleyball star Oikawa Tooru while filling up her water bottle, leading to an unlikely friendship. After getting to know him a bit, it appears to Kasumi that perhaps the two were more alike than they'd first thought.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've watched Haikyuu (stupidly I'm attempting to go off of memory) so some of this might not fit into the canon events. Other than that please enjoy and I'd love to hear feedback <3

I placed my bag down on the dewy grass, pulling out my long socks and cleats. Being one of the two captains of our team, some of my many duties included arriving early and setting up for morning practice. Coach couldn’t make the morning practices, so running them was left to the captains. Well, that, and the fact that our coach just didn’t feel like waking up in the mornings. Neither did I, but life simply wasn’t fair. 

It would be another 30 minutes before any girls showed up, as I had arrived extremely early in order to get extra practice in (at the expense of my precious sleep). I tightened my ponytail and began juggling the ball, warming up my muscles before beginning to work on my footwork. My time alone flew by quickly, and as I jogged back towards my water to rehydrate, I was trampled upon by who I believed to be my co-captain Yuki. 

“Good morning Kasumi-chan” she exclaimed as she pulled herself off of me. I pushed myself off of the ground before replying with an eye roll and a monotonous “good morning to you too.” I then cracked a smile at her as she tied her golden hair up into a ponytail. 

“Another beautiful day of morning practice awaits us Kasumi!”

“Riiight. Bright and early, soo fun.”

“You’re such a party pooper you know that” she whined, her infamous pout accompanying it. 

I rolled my eyes and smiled once more, before explaining what drills I had set up. Shortly after Yuki had arrived, the rest of the team began arriving for practice. We jogged, stretched, ran through the drills, and then headed towards the showers to freshen up for school. 

\----

Yuki and I mindlessly chatted on our way towards class, her catching me up on the drama that was occurring at the wonderful school of Aoba Josai. She was telling me something about a guy getting dumped by his girlfriend, but that’s about all I picked up in my tired state. The class had yet to start, and I had myself draped over my desk, talking to Yuki who was turned around towards me. 

“I’m so worn out from waking up early for practice” I moaned. 

“Well maybe you shouldn’t arrive early and wear yourself out” she scolded.

“Yeah yeah. Gotta get good at what I do somehow.”

“Believe me, you’re doing just fine. Don’t overwork yourself and end up ruining your university soccer dreams with an avoidable injury. You and I both know you have scouts checking you out, don’t be such a dummy.”

I groaned, knowing she was right. Whenever she gets into” mom mode”, she never fails to put me in my place. My parents were always off on business trips so she took it upon herself to be the one to scold me. Her stark change in demeanor is the thing that really makes it work. Just the thought of getting her really angry sends a shiver down my spine. 

The door to the classroom slid open, Oikawa and Iwaizumi walking inside and towards their seats. The noise level in the room grew exponentially, filled with squeals and girls saying good morning. I groaned again, a headache slowly growing. Thankfully, the teacher walked in shortly after and began class. 

\----

By the time school was over, I was making my way back towards the soccer fields. Yuki was off grabbing water from a vending machine, leaving me alone to my thoughts. I watched group after group of girls make their way into the gym, no doubt going to watch their beloved Oikawa-kun. I rolled my eyes at the thought of his fangirls. 

Sure, he was talented and had good looks, but spending your days obsessing over someone you barely know? I struggled to find the motivation behind that. Oikawa and I exchanged words every now and then, but most conversations were about schoolwork or borrowing a textbook. Despite his flirty nature, he was nice enough to me, and I found no reason to truly dislike him. Acquaintances worked just fine for me. 

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and began greeting my teammates who had arrived. Another day of practice began, and I cleared my mind, focusing only on soccer. It was a beautiful escape, something I loved dearly. Halfway through practice, we began the drills tailored to our positions. As a striker, I was placed with the midfielders and attacking wings. We went through sprint drill after sprint drill, dribbled through cones more times than I could count, and eventually took shots on the goalkeeper. 

After an hour, practice ended, and we began to clean up our things before setting off for home. I decided to stay late rather than head home immediately, feeling underwhelmed by my performance during practice. My habit of overworking myself in search of perfection led me to arriving early in the morning and staying late in the afternoon. It wasn’t a huge deal to me, professionals and university players practice multiple times a day for extended periods of time. Why not get ahead of the game and begin doing that now?

After working myself to the bone and beginning to feel a slight throbbing in my knee, I decided to stop for the day and refill my water before heading home. I slowly made my way over to the water fountain by the gym, stopping every now and then to work out my knee. I had injured my knee in a match a while back, and every now and then it fires up. In soccer, knees are such fickle beings. 

Volleyball practice ended around the same time soccer practice did, yet for some reason when I arrived at the water fountain I could still hear the faint sound of volleyballs smacking the floor. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I opened the door to the gym slightly and peeked inside. I was caught in a sort of trance almost, watching Oikawa serve ball after ball with extreme precision. I had always assumed that he was naturally talented and thus I never bothered watching one of his matches, but I was amazed to see the hard work he actually put in. It reminded me of myself in a sense. 

At some point, I had lessened my grip on my water bottle, and the clanging of the metal bottle on the floor pulled me out of my daze. I silently cursed and reached to pick it up, noticing I had disrupted Oikawa’s practice as well. He turned towards me and flashed a smile, meanwhile I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m so sorry Oikawa-kun, I was just curious as to who was practicing late. I’ll leave you to it” I sheepishly said before immediately turning around and slamming the door shut. 

I could feel a blush of embarrassment growing on my face and I groaned internally. God, I am  _ such _ an idiot. I quickly filled up my water bottle and moved to flee the scene of the crime when the door slid back open, Oikawa walking out. I braced myself before slowly turning towards the door and offering another smile towards him. 

“H-Hello again,” I said with a small wave, “sorry again for startling you.” 

“It was no problem Kasumi-chan, I was about to head home anyways” he replied with a shiny smile. My eyebrow twitched at the given name but chose to let it slide, chalking it up to his personality. No point in fighting it if that’s just the way he is, it probably wouldn’t happen again anyways. While the shiny smile and cheerful attitude did seem a bit fake to me, I chose to ignore that. However, I was surprised to find that he knew my name, I always figured he had more important things occupying his mind.

“Well, I suppose I’ll see you around” I spoke as I began walking away, but was soon reminded of the pain flaring up in my knee. I sighed, but continued walking, chiding myself for fretting over a small inconvenience. I’d ice it when I got home...probably. Before I got too far I noticed the sound of footsteps shortly behind mine and saw brown locks out of the corner of my eye. I turned towards Oikawa and looked at him expectantly. 

“It seems we’re heading the same way” he smiled, “why don’t we walk towards the subway station together?”

I sighed, “sure, why not. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Geez, you’re so cold Kasumi-chan. It’s nice to have someone to walk with, isn't it?” The name struck me again and it took all of my strength to remain calm. 

“I suppose so Oikawa- _ kun _ ” I replied, hoping he’d take the hint. Instead, he kept his cheery demeanor and continued walking next to me in silence. Deciding to break the ice and end the awkward silence, I began my efforts of trying to get to know him. 

“So, do you stay late after school for practices all the time” I questioned. 

“Not all the time, I take Mondays off for rest. Other than that, I suppose so. What about you? What were you doing here so late?”

“Well, our team has afternoon practices Monday through Thursday, but I stayed later than the team today to get a bit of extra practice in.” He hummed in acknowledgment, and we continued our trek home, every now and then asking each other small questions. It seemed that perhaps we were more alike than we knew.


	2. 2

Despite the odd way in which Oikawa and I had become acquaintances, things got even weirder when we got off at the same stop, walked towards the same direction, and then discovered that we lived only a few minutes away from one another. I was honestly shocked due to the fact that I had never once noticed him on my commute home. Considering the similarities between our routines, one would think that we’d have crossed paths at one point or another. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, as I opened my front door and flicked on the lights. I made my way upstairs and began to draw a bath, but my thoughts couldn’t help but wander towards Oikawa. Throwing on my pajamas once I was done bathing, I realized that, strangely, I felt myself wanting to get to know him even more. I closed my eyes as soon as my head hit my pillow, and soon I drifted off to sleep. 

The shrill beeps of my alarm woke me once morning came, and I pulled myself out of bed in order to head to training once more. “Rinse and repeat” I sighed to myself as I laced up my cleats, having arrived at the fields. My knee was still sore from whatever I did yesterday to irritate it, but I brushed it off once more and went through practice as I would normally. We had a match coming up in a few days and I’d be damned if I didn't prepare well. 

The school day passed by in a blur and at the end of practice (after staying late of course), I found myself drifting back towards the gym. Mentally scolding myself, I turned away from the gym and instead towards the entrance of the school. Why am I so obsessed with the guy anyway? I wondered if perhaps the draw I was feeling towards him was the same thing that allowed him to accumulate such a large fan club. 

A few days of practice and school had gone by, and suddenly it was game day. We were facing a school that I had never heard of, but after some research, learned that they were a force to be reckoned with. Oikawa and I began seeing each other more often, but it was still only small things said in passing. In class, he would wave to me, and if we passed each other in the hallway he’d greet me with a cheery “hello there Kasumi-chan.” 

Once the final bell for today tolled, I pulled out my headphones and plugged them into my phone. Playing music always helped me get in the right mindset for games. I grabbed my textbooks and pencils and threw them into my bag, bobbing my head slightly to the music I was playing. I was walking out of the classroom when two people that were walking past me stopped and then moved in front of me. Having broken my concentration, I finally looked up and noticed who the two people in question were. Pulling out my headphones, I greeted them. “Hello Oikawa-kun, Iwaizumi-kun.”

Iwaizumi was the first to speak, mentioning the game today and telling me good luck. I graciously thanked him, and then looked towards Oikawa. 

“Eh volleyball is more exciting but good luck to you” Oikawa pouted, looking the other way. 

“Thanks... I guess” I trailed off.

“Are you not heading to the game with Chiba-san” Iwaizumi questioned, seemingly interested in her whereabouts. I knew they shared a mutual interest in one another but this was a shock to me nonetheless.

“Oh, Yuki and I usually head our separate ways since I’m always putting headphones in” I chuckled.

Iwaizumi hummed as a response, and then the two boys went off to what I assumed would be volleyball practice. As I was putting my headphones back in, I couldn’t help but overhear Iwaizumi scolding Oikawa for his half-assed way of wishing me luck. I caught bits and pieces, something about wanting to say good luck and being a baka. I laughed at their antics and then headed off towards the field. 

\----

We were well into the second half of the game, the speed picking up as both teams wanted to score. It was currently tied up 1-1, and with the end of the game drawing nearer the tempo and aggression increased every minute that the game continued. I called for the ball, and Yuki sent it from the side of the field to my position between two defenders. I pushed myself to run faster, fighting against the defender and the throbbing of my knee. I should’ve worn my brace. As I moved to dribble my way into the top of the box, one of the two defenders had caught up with me. And then, it all happened in a split second. I glanced over and watched as the defender slid towards me, their cleats connecting with my leg rather than the ball. My body slammed onto the ground, a pop sounding from my knee. 

Then, there was a scream. It took a moment for me to register that the person screaming was me, the shock of the situation overcoming my senses. I tried to push myself off of the ground, but my leg gave out underneath me. The pain was radiating up my leg and slowly began suffocating me, forcing me to flop onto my back. I watched as my teammates gathered around me, Yuki grabbing my hand. I sobbed out in pain, trying to move my leg. “My-my knee. Oh god. Shit” I choked out, “it hurts so bad, oh god.”

Everything seemed foggy, I could barely hear, and at this point, it felt as if I was underwater. Someone screamed to get the nurse from the volleyball practice and all I could do was groan in reply to the events unfolding. I tilted my head to the side and watched as the nurse ran out from the gym, bringing a few players with her to help carry me off the field. I groaned out in embarrassment, making eye contact with Oikawa as Iwaizumi and the nurse supported me. I hopped off the field with their support on each side, and once I crossed the line of the field, immediately fell back down. 

By the time the nurse was done working on my knee, almost all of my leg was wrapped up in bandages, the nurse hoping it would stabilize my knee until I could see a real doctor. 

“Do you think it would be okay for me to stay to watch the rest of the game?” I asked the nurse, wanting to cheer the girls on. 

“I’m sorry but I think you should head to a doctor before your injury escalates. You should be able to walk slowly, but if you need extra support come find me.” 

I sighed, figuring the nurse knew what she was talking about. I told myself that I should listen to what she was telling me, despite it being the opposite of what I wanted. Attempting to walk home was the hardest part, my leg shaking and buckling every few steps. My leg shook once again, this time sending me towards the concrete to most likely land on my face. Rather than meeting the hard concrete, I instead felt someone grab my arm and hoist it over their shoulder. I shakily looked towards my savior and came face to face with Oikawa. 

“We seem to meet in the oddest ways” I joked, a stupid attempt at distracting myself from the stabbing pains in my knee. “Thanks for saving me from eating concrete” I jested once more. 

“The nurse asked me if I could help you since you seemed to be struggling with walking. Let’s just focus on getting you to a doctor though, okay?” The stark change from cheery to serious threw me off guard, but for some reason, I felt myself being drawn even more towards the boy next to me. He grabbed my bag that was on my shoulder and carried it with his free arm. 

“Thank you” I whispered, my energy draining and my eyes filling up with tears once more. I choked down a sob, feeling embarrassed for crying in front of a guy I basically just met. 

“You can cry you know, just don’t get any snot on my jacket.” 

“Sorry” I choked out, attempting to laugh “just a little upset and in a whole world of pain.” Just those few words stripped away what was left of my energy, and I had to fight to speak without crying. I buried my face in my hands as we rode the train back towards our homes and the town doctor, Oikawa sitting next to me the whole time. The whole ride was, for the most part, silent. Unlike before, Oikawa had refrained from asking small questions or acting overly cheery. Even after I had left the doctor’s office, he stuck by my side and helped make sure I got home safe. I opened my front door, and he took this as a cue to remove his arm from my shoulders and hand me my bag. I looked at him and smiled, thanking him over and over for spending his time helping me out. He smiled back at me and began walking away, yet I wasn’t ready to part from him.

“W-wait” I cried out. His footsteps paused and he turned back around. “Can I treat you to something before you leave?” He turned around with his cheery smile adorning his face. 

“Kasumi-chan do you have a crush on me?” 

My face contorted into one of anger and embarrassment and I turned around, slamming the door in his face. A few seconds passed before there was a series of knocks on my door. I had half the mind to ignore him, but the knocks continued on and on. I smiled to myself before throwing back open the door, fixing a glare at Oikawa as he stood there with his arm in the air, ready to knock once more. He quickly put his hand down, smiled at me, and asked: “do you have any milk bread?” 

\----

Oikawa and I sat in the kitchen together and I watched, amused, as he devoured slice after slice of milk bread. I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, my mood instantly lightening.

“So, I guess you like milk bread then,” I asked, making small conversation. He swallowed another bite before replying. 

“Yeah, it’s my favorite food. Maybe you can make some for me since you like me so much” he replied with a wink. I moved to hit him on the arm but was painfully reminded of my injured knee. I let out a gasp of pain and fell back onto my chair. 

“Sorry, I guess I forgot that my knee isn’t in the best shape right now,” I said, grinning and rubbing the back of my neck. “Once I get the MRI results back then I’ll be able to heal and get back out there in no time” I exclaimed, feigning a smile that I knew didn’t quite reach my eyes. He faltered and his grin left his face for a moment, but it reappeared soon after. A beat of silence passed between us and Oikawa began cleaning up the area he was eating in. “Thanks for the milk bread Kasumi-chan! My mom probably wants me home now” he spoke to me, grinning. 

“Oh, right. Well, thank you again for taking care of me.”

He walked towards my door and I limped after him. He stuck up his hand, forming a peace sign, and smiled once more before turning around and leaving. I closed the door behind him, my smile slowly dropping. The clicking of the lock on the door suddenly sent all the emotions of the day crashing down upon me. Try as I might to ignore them, now that I wasn’t able to distract myself, I was left alone to my mind. At least it was Friday, and I had the weekend to rest up. 

I dragged myself to the bathroom, and once my bath was completely drawn, spent an ungodly amount of time sitting in the tub. A part of me wished Oikawa was still here with me so I could have a nice distraction from all of this. A distraction from the fact that I was out for a few weeks at best, from the fact that I failed my team as a captain, and from the fact that my chances of university soccer were hanging in the balance of it all. I slowly let myself sink underwater, blocking out all of the noise, a feeble attempt at escaping my problems once more. Once I was finished bathing I found myself spacing out as I went through the motions of getting dressed and wrapping up my knee, my thoughts wandering back towards a certain milk bread-loving setter. We had only truly known each other for two days now, yet it felt as if I’d known him for so much longer. 

Soon after those thoughts began piling up in my head, a ding set off from my phone, saving me from my brain. I slowly eased myself onto my bed and lifted my phone up from my side, noticing the notification of a text from Yuki. 

“The game ended in a tie, but the girls and I already miss our favorite captain Kasumi! Let me know what the knee situation is and if you want me to come visit you tomorrow. Love ya!” 

  
I glanced at the text once more, my eyes getting drawn back to the word captain. _Captain._ I’m their captain, their leader, and yet I couldn’t even win the game for them. Tears began to rise up in my eyes and I fought to keep them from spilling over. I was just so... disappointed . I blinked the tears away and flipped off the lights in my room, closing my eyes and waiting for sleep to take me.


End file.
